the way we crumble
by GoldSilver02
Summary: Crossover with Suite Life. It all starts on a busy day in a café in Piccadilly. This is a story about family, lost hope and love when it doesn't even seem possible anymore. Alex/Zack. Others mentioned. Spoilers for Wizards finale.


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**Summary**: Crossover with Suite Life. It all starts on a busy day in a café in Piccadilly. This is a story about family, lost hope and love when it doesn't even seem possible anymore. Alex/Zack. Others mentioned.

**Author's Note**: This is the first time I have ever done a crossover. I don't know if I'm doing it right, I don't know if anyone will ever read this but any feedback is appreciated! Just a warning, there are spoilers for Wizards Series Finale (which by the way, I wasn't too fond of, hence why this beast came to fruition) and not much spoilers for Suite Life, just the typical stuff I guess. Anyways, let me know what you all think! Reviews are greatly appreciated, thanks again! By the way, for the story's sake, both Alex and Zack are 20. Just bear with me, it'll all make sense throughout the story. Hopefully.

Also just a little heads up: Paragraphs in italics are flashbacks but _("anything with parentheses and quotations marks and italics." "Exactly like this" "Is Zack thinking of what Cody would say in that particular situation.")_ Hopefully this doesn't confuse anyone and hopefully the story will flow smoothly.

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><p><em>the way we crumble<em>

_i. _

Listen, listen

I would take a whisper if that's all you had to give

But it isn't, isn't

You could come and save me and try to chase the crazy right out of my head

Jason Walker- _Echo_

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><p>The thing that nobody tells her (warns her) is how empty she'll feel. It's odd. It's different; it's <em>scary<em> how much magic influenced her. She knows now that magic wasn't just a part of them; it is (_was)_ them _(her)._ It ran in their blood and there's a sudden hollowness in her that's so overwhelming, she doesn't know what to do with herself.

So, she runs. She runs away from her family (she's sorry for shattering her mother's heart and sorry for breaking her promise to her father, she's sorry for turning her back on her brothers, but she _can't_ do it…she can't face them without magic. She doesn't know how to). She runs away from Harper and runs away from New York City, the only city she's ever known.

In the end, she figures running shouldn't have come as much of a surprise to them. It's the only thing she's good at.

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><p>"<em>You know the least you could do is give us a call to let us know that you're not dead in a ditch somewhere."<em> Her voice is replaying back to him and she sounds more bitter than he's ever heard her. Not that he's surprised. He doesn't really have a right to be. Not after what he did. _"He's your brother, Zack. You're_ twin_ brother and you've left him. You've left your mother and your friends. Zack…where are you? Please come back, for _Cody_. He's going to want to see you when he wakes up."_ There's a slight pause and a sniffle. _"It's Bailey, by the way."_

He shuts off his phone and leans forward on the table, hands running through his blonde hair. _When._ She says _when_ he wakes up. And Zack wants to be optimistic, Zack wants to be positive, but it's not the way he is. He's realistic. He knows it's not _when_ Cody wakes up but rather_ if_ he wakes up.

He clenches his fists. There's a rage building in him, it's sudden and overwhelming, swallowing him whole. He doesn't know how they can think of looking at him when he can't even look at himself.

_It's his fault. It's all his fault. It's always his fault. This is what keeps running through his head when the doctor comes out to see them, eyes weary, demeanor defeated, as he tells them that they tried all they could, but Cody wasn't strong enough (it doesn't slip his mind, and he's sure that it didn't slip everyone else's mind, but he probably would have been strong enough to pull through it. He always was stronger than Cody) and he slipped into coma. It's what runs through his head when Bailey wails and collapses into Carey's arms, both women weeping. _

_And all Zack can think about is how it's his fault. All his fault. Always his fault. So, he backs away from the grieving women and the forlorn friends (who have basically become family). He ignores Woody and Marcus' questions; he ignores Ms. Tutweiller's sad eyes and he ignores Mr. Moseby's outstretched hand, trying to lure him back. He bumps into his breathless father as he rips the stairwell door open. He stops and stares at Zack, unable to form the words and then he looks over to where Carey is weeping and to where Zack is standing. _

_Zack tries to form words (any words) but all he can think about is Cody ("oh," he imagines his twin saying, head cocked, hands on his hips, eyes twinkling, "now, you're speechless."). Instead, he shakes his head and jumps in the elevator that takes him all the way down. (It's fitting because he's drowning in his own head, going down…down…down.) _

So, he runs away. He runs away from his family (he's sorry that his mother and father are losing both sons, he's sorry that he's not the man his friends thought he was and he's sorry Cody, _oh Cody_, he's _so_ sorry.) He runs away from the only family he's ever known.

In the end, he doesn't think running should have come as a big surprise to them. It's the only thing he's good at.

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><p>It happens on a busy day in a café in Piccadilly. He's grabbing breakfast (because England is as far away as he could think of) when he sees her. She's sitting by herself in the back, cup of steaming tea and untouched lemon cake in front of her. She's staring out the window at the gray skies and the numerous cars driving by. He stops. Stands still and stares at her. She looks familiar in an eerie way. He's almost certain he's met her before.<p>

It doesn't really matter though, because in an instant she looks up and locks eyes with him. He almost staggers back from the shock. He hasn't looked at himself in the mirror in a while and he knows he looks like shit, but so does she. She looks exactly like he thinks he looks.

Lost. Depressed. Empty. Alone. _Devastated_.

He doesn't know what makes him move, but he does and soon he's standing behind the empty chair across from her. He shrugs and gestures to the empty chair.

She eyes him wearily and then nods.

He pulls out the chair and settles down into it. They don't say anything and Zack finds that he's okay with that. He's okay with staying silent with her. He's okay with eavesdropping on everyone else's conversation but just being able to stare at the familiar girl in front of him.

She lets out a sigh and shakes her head. "Alex." She says, outstretching her hand.

He's surprised to hear an American accent and for the first time in God knows how long, he smiles and shakes her hand. "I'm Zack." Her hand is warm, small, delicate, yet a bit callused and fits perfectly in his. "What brings you to London?" He doesn't know why he asks this, because she looks just as depressed as he feels, but the words fly out of his mouth before he can stop them.

_("So, you can talk now?" "Get out of my head Cody." "Dude, I'm always in your head. I'm everywhere.") _

He's thankful for the bitter laugh that escapes Alex's throat. She blinks rapidly and clears her throat. "It's a long story."

Zack shrugs and gestures to their full cups. "I've got time."

He's lonely. And depressed and he figures that if he talks to someone else who's lonely and depressed, he won't be so lonely and depressed. Isn't that the way math works? One plus one equals two and all that shit he never paid attention to?

_("Your math skills are still atrocious I see." "Shut up, Cody.") _

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><p><em>Okay…what does everyone think? Should I continue? Should I trash it? I feel like this could be a good thing but I want to know what everyone thinks! Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this! Reviews are greatly appreciated! <em>

_Thanks again, _

_**Bex.**_

_**P.S**__. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone and I apologize if they offend anyone. _


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